Another vote for Mr Bear from here, simply sublime
One of those authors though, where I wish I'd staggered his work a little more; as, apart from some of the older harder to get hold of novellas, I'm all done with him now
I'm just reading Greg Bears Darwin's Radio, and have Darwin's Children ready to rock afterwards... Its looking good so far!
Oh yes, I'd forgotten that Darwin's Children was out now; I'm saving that one for now though
Forge of God and Anvil of Stars were brilliant by him too; the latter going off in a real interesting direction, after being set-up nicely by the first.
Interesting stuff that springs to mind: I'm A Teacher Get Me Out Of Here! Francis Gilbert, currently the Book of the Week on R4 and probably therefore available on Listen Again.
K-Pax trilogy, Gene Brewer. Quirky but good (fiction).
Do Not Pass Go, Tim Moore. About Monopoly. But so much more interesting than that sounds.
Save Karyn, Karyn Bosnak. Shopaholic turns to the internet for help. You blokes might initially get a bit more pissed off at her shopping habits than I did.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris.
Sickboy wrote:Very sharp and talky. Like Elmore Leonard doing cockney-speak.
Whereas, Eminem doing cockney speak is known as "The Streets"...
"We don't have a great war in our generation, or a great depression, but we do, we have a great war of the spirit. We have a great revolution against the culture. The great depression is ourlives. We have a spiritual depression." - Tyler Durden
Jac wrote:and partly because the publishers seemed to think that US audiences wouldn't know what a book called Northern Lights could be about and wouldn't buy it.
I'm sure I wasn't the only person in the UK to think it was about Cannabis.
Bernard Cornwell's "Arthurian Legend" trilogy. Really good IMO.
Warning: Its portrayal of Lancelot might want to make you go out and punch the nearest vain floppy-haired upper-class-twit, on the basis that he might be a descendant and therefore desperately need a good shoeing. Not that I am advocating violence. Puts the "British" heritage that's so misused by the Daily Mail reading classes in perspective too. Read the books and find out what I mean.
Wumpus4x4 wrote:Bernard Cornwell's "Arthurian Legend" trilogy. Really good IMO.
Warning: Its portrayal of Lancelot might want to make you go out and punch the nearest vain floppy-haired upper-class-twit, on the basis that he might be a descendant and therefore desperately need a good shoeing. Not that I am advocating violence. Puts the "British" heritage that's so misused by the Daily Mail reading classes in perspective too. Read the books and find out what I mean.
Wumpus4x4 wrote:Bernard Cornwell's "Arthurian Legend" trilogy. Really good IMO.
Warning: Its portrayal of Lancelot might want to make you go out and punch the nearest vain floppy-haired upper-class-twit, on the basis that he might be a descendant and therefore desperately need a good shoeing. Not that I am advocating violence. Puts the "British" heritage that's so misused by the Daily Mail reading classes in perspective too. Read the books and find out what I mean.
I agree. A very good series of books, taking back the Arthurian legends that have been polluted by the French romantics, and retelling them in a (probably) more realistic way.
Wumpus4x4 wrote:Bernard Cornwell's "Arthurian Legend" trilogy. Really good IMO.
Warning: Its portrayal of Lancelot might want to make you go out and punch the nearest vain floppy-haired upper-class-twit, on the basis that he might be a descendant and therefore desperately need a good shoeing. Not that I am advocating violence. Puts the "British" heritage that's so misused by the Daily Mail reading classes in perspective too. Read the books and find out what I mean.
I agree. A very good series of books, taking back the Arthurian legends that have been polluted by the French romantics, and retelling them in a (probably) more realistic way.
Muttley
Another positive vote here; possibly the best retelling of the Arthurian legend yet, and very in keeping with the recognised historical data for that time. (None of your Boormanesque "kniggets in shining armour" and other assorted BS)
His "Grail Quest" series is very good too; based around the time of the 100 years war. Although, fun though all of his books indisputably are, there is always just the slightest hint, that it's all really just Sharpe ..in different togs
